Burger King pledges to end use of caged pigs, hens

April 25 (Reuters) - Burger King, the
third-biggest U.S. hamburger chain, has pledged to end the use
of the cramped chicken and pig cages targeted by animal welfare
activists.

On Wednesday, the Miami-based chain committed to serving 100
percent cage-free eggs in its U.S. restaurants by 2017 and to
buy pork only from suppliers with documented plans to end their
use of gestation crates for breeding sows.

The announcement comes at a time when U.S. consumers are
showing greater interest in agricultural practices after years
of remaining largely in the dark about how their food is
produced.

At the same time, groups like the Humane Society of the
United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) have been pulling back the curtain on farm processes and
pressuring restaurants and grocery stores to offer food that is
produced more humanely.

The Human Society welcomed the announcement from Burger
King, which has 7,200 restaurants in the United States, about
half as many as fast-food industry leader McDonald's Corp
.

McDonald's, the top U.S. hamburger chain by sales, vowed in
February to work with its U.S. pork suppliers to phase out the
use of gestation crates. Domestic pork producers confine
millions of sows in cramped stalls while they raise piglets.

Wendy's Co, which recently edged out Burger King to
become the No. 2 hamburger chain in the United States, made a
similar announcement in March.

In 2007, following discussions with the Humane Society,
Burger King became the first major U.S. restaurant company to
begin phasing in cage-free products.
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